Physical hazard · Pyrophoric liquids · Pyrophoric solids
H250 — Catches fire spontaneously if exposed to air
Physical hazard statements describe what the substance itself can do — explode, ignite, react, corrode metal. 18 substances with a harmonised EU classification carry this code.
01 · Wording
What H250 says
Catches fire spontaneously if exposed to air.
CLP Annex III · Physical hazards
Pyrophoric liquids · Pyrophoric solids GHS chapter 2.9
Category 1 · pictogram GHS02 (flame) · signal word Danger
Unchanged since 2009.
Present in every UN GHS edition from Rev.3 (2009) to Rev.11 (2025), with the same wording throughout.
Nine editions of the UN model text, 86 hazard statements, 19 of which ever moved. Read the full story in what changed in UN GHS Rev.11.
02 · Languages
H250 in the 24 official EU languages
A label put on the market in an EU country must carry the wording of that country's own language version of CLP — not a translation of the English one. These 24 lines are quoted from the consolidated regulation, Annex III, and are the text to print.
| Language | Official wording of H250 |
|---|---|
| BG български Bulgarian | Самозапалва се при контакт с въздух. |
| ES español Spanish | Se inflama espontáneamente en contacto con el aire. |
| CS čeština Czech | Při styku se vzduchem se samovolně vznítí. |
| DA dansk Danish | Selvantænder ved kontakt med luft. |
| DE Deutsch German | Entzündet sich in Berührung mit Luft von selbst. |
| ET eesti Estonian | Kokkupuutel õhuga süttib iseenesest. |
| EL ελληνικά Greek | Αυταναφλέγεται εάν εκτεθεί στον αέρα. |
| EN English English | Catches fire spontaneously if exposed to air. |
| FR français French | S'enflamme spontanément au contact de l'air. |
| GA Gaeilge Irish | Téann trí thine go spontáineach má nochtar don aer. |
| HR hrvatski Croatian | Samozapaljivo u dodiru sa zrakom. |
| IT italiano Italian | Spontaneamente infiammabile all'aria. |
| LV latviešu Latvian | Spontāni aizdegas saskarē ar gaisu. |
| LT lietuvių Lithuanian | Veikiami oro savaime užsidega. |
| HU magyar Hungarian | Levegővel érintkezve önmagától meggyullad. |
| MT Malti Maltese | Jieħu n-nar spontanjament jekk ikun espost għall-arja. |
| NL Nederlands Dutch | Vat spontaan vlam bij blootstelling aan lucht. |
| PL polski Polish | Zapala się samorzutnie w przypadku wystawienia na działanie powietrza. |
| PT português Portuguese | Risco de inflamação espontânea em contacto com o ar. |
| RO română Romanian | Se aprinde spontan, în contact cu aerul. |
| SK slovenčina Slovak | Pri kontakte so vzduchuom sa spontánne vznieti. |
| SL slovenščina Slovenian | Samodejno se vžge na zraku. |
| FI suomi Finnish | Syttyy itsestään palamaan joutuessaan kosketuksiin ilman kanssa. |
| SV svenska Swedish | Spontanantänder vid kontakt med luft. |
Source: CELEX:02008R1272-20260501, Annex III. © European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu — only the electronic Official Journal of the European Union is authentic. Irish is one of the 24 official languages and its H and P texts are printed inside the multilingual Annex tables, but no consolidated CLP has ever been published in Irish — which is why an Irish-primary label cannot be built here.
03 · Legal status
Where H250 is current
GHS is a United Nations model text, revised every two years, and each jurisdiction adopts a revision on its own timetable. A code can be legally current in one system and deleted in another — that is normal, not an error.
| Jurisdiction | Basis | Status of H250 |
|---|---|---|
| EU CLP | Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 CLP Annex IV, Part 2 (consolidated) | Current |
| US OSHA HazCom | 29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix C UN GHS Rev.7 (final rule of 20 May 2024) | Current |
| US HazCom 2012 | legacy · GHS Rev.3 UN GHS Rev.3, Annex 3 | Current |
| UN GHS | Rev.11 (2025) UN GHS Rev.11, Annex 3 | Current |
Currently in force under: EU CLP, US OSHA HazCom, US HazCom 2012, UN GHS. Sources: EU CLP · US OSHA HazCom · US HazCom 2012 · UN GHS
04 · Substances
Substances carrying H250
Every entry whose harmonised CLP Annex VI classification includes this hazard statement. Substances with a reference page here open on this site; the rest open on ghssymbols.com. Of these, 5 are group entries such as “salts of picric acid” or “beryllium compounds” — Annex VI gives them no CAS number, so they are listed by Index No and have no page of their own.
- (2-methylpropyl)lithium CAS 920-36-5
- aluminium alkyls Index No 013-004-00-2
- aluminium powder (pyrophoric) CAS 7429-90-5
- cadmium CAS 7440-43-9
- Di-N-octylaluminium iodide CAS 7585-14-0
- Diethyl(ethyldimethylsilanolato)aluminum CAS 55426-95-4
- Diethylmethoxyborane CAS 7397-46-8
- dimethylzinc [1] diethylzinc [2] CAS 544-97-8
- Lithium, hexyl- CAS 21369-64-2
- magnesium alkyls Index No 012-003-00-4
- magnesium powder (pyrophoric) CAS 7439-95-4
- Phosphorus CAS 12185-10-3
- sodium((n-butyl)x(ethyl)y-1,5-dihydro)aluminate) x =… Index No 013-009-00-X
- tert-Butylarsine CAS 4262-43-5
- trialkylboranes Index No 005-004-00-6
- trialkylboranes, liquid Index No 005-004-01-3
- zinc powder - zinc dust (pyrophoric) CAS 7440-66-6
- zirconium powder (pyrophoric) CAS 7440-67-7
Nothing matches that filter.
All hazard statements
The full list of H-codes with the jurisdiction switch lives on the hazard statements hub. For what to do about the hazard, see precautionary statements (P-codes).
Wording quoted from the regulation named above. Substance counts come from harmonised classifications in CLP Annex VI — the statements on a real product also depend on the supplier's own classification. Always check the supplier safety data sheet.